'I Dream of a Safe Life': Gaza's Children Share the Future They Want
Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF Chief of Communication,
UNICEF Press Release / UN News 24 February 2026
Summary
UNICEF's "The Gaza We Want" initiative has given voice to over 11,000 children aged 5 to 18 across all five governorates of Gaza — including children with disabilities — asking them to share their vision for recovery and reconstruction through drawings, poems, models made from rubble, murals, and structured surveys. In total, 1,603 children completed a questionnaire and at least 11,000 participated in creative activities.
No child was asked to re-live violence; instead, they were asked to "imagine dignity." Their priorities were strikingly consistent across age groups and geography: safety and shelter first, along with psychological first aid; then permanent homes, real schools with walls, roofs, running water, libraries, and playgrounds — not tents hosting displaced families; then calm, clean hospitals with mental health support; and finally parks, beaches, sports fields, and cultural centres.
Children also outlined a phased reconstruction timeline, ending with universities, industries, and places of remembrance. UNICEF's Jonathan Crickx, briefing journalists in Geneva, said that when thousands of children independently draw the same things — trees, schools, hospitals, clean streets — "that is not coincidence. It is a direct appeal to the world." Since the ceasefire began in October 2025, more than 135 children have still been reported killed in Gaza.
Quotes
"Missing school affected my learning a lot. Education matters for my future, so I dream of a safe life — having a secure home, my own room, and a good school where I can learn and grow." — Hala, age 15, UNICEF Temporary Learning Centre, Deir El Balah
"Life has been so difficult, no child should ever have to live through this. The Gaza I want is a beautiful place with hospitals, schools, and safe buildings. I was injured in the war and it affected me a lot. Whenever I hear an airstrike, I get scared. But during the Gaza We Want activity, I felt so much better in my head." — Mayar, age 14, Gaza
"These are not extraordinary demands. They are the fundamentals of childhood. A recovery that ignores children's voices will fail them — and fail Gaza." — Jonathan Crickx, UNICEF Chief of Communication, State of Palestine
Highly commendable initiative. Is anyone surprised by the virtual unanimity of the children's responses? Will anyone do something to make their dreams come true? Or are we to expect another "lost generation" in the Middle east?
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